The science news of the week: The Pentagon has decided to resume the investigation of the UFO phenomenon and has created a special investigative unit for this purpose. The order was signed by the Deputy Secretary of Defense of the United States, Kathleen Hicks. This order (and orders, as it is known, are not discussed) was received five months after the authors of a secret American intelligence report were unable to come to a definitive conclusion about the possibility of the existence of extraterrestrial UFOs. They managed to provide a credible explanation for the overwhelming majority of the approximately 120 observed cases of such objects over the past 20 years, but at the same time, other phenomena, including those recorded by military pilots near test sites, left the question unanswered. For example, last year the Pentagon released footage filmed by naval aviators of objects that remain unexplained. These objects moved at incredible speeds and then disappeared in an inexplicable manner. The new department (it would be very interesting to know the principle according to which people will be hired there) will primarily deal with the investigation of incidents in strictly controlled or completely prohibited areas for flights for reasons of national security or military secrets. The thing is, the military suspects that it may not be alien spies at all, but rather earthly enemies who have developed or acquired technologies unknown to the Americans. In fact, as recently as June this year, China tested a hypersonic device capable of launching missiles more than five times faster than the speed of sound. This led Washington to believe that Beijing had developed technologies that the US had not yet had time to develop. No wonder the Pentagon statement says that “the intrusion of any flying objects into our no-fly zones threatens not only air safety but also national security,” and therefore the Department of Defense “takes the intrusion of any flying objects, whether identified or not, very seriously and thoroughly investigates each such case. As is customary for anything classified, the new department will have an unpronounceable acronym, AOIMSG (Group for Identification and Synchronization of Tracking Flying Objects), and will be overseen by a group of military and intelligence experts.
Deadly spiny carrot Thapsia villosa We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. Episodes End of story. Podcast ads. Not all carrots are good. And when it comes to the deadly furry carrot, Thapsia villosa, as the name suggests, it is life-threatening. But as researchers at the University of Nottingham have found, there is no harm without good: the plant-based antiviral drug tapisgargin (TG) effectively kills all strains of SARS-CoV-2, including the fastest spreading Delta variant, under laboratory conditions. In February, scientists demonstrated visually that TG (Transmissible Gastroenteritis) can be successfully used against many viruses. Laboratory experiments with specially grown cell cultures showed that the dose of TG (presumably referring to a specific substance or treatment) administered before or during the active phase of infection blocked several variants of SARS-CoV-2 and induced a strong protective response. “A preliminary dose of TG was sufficient to effectively block both monovariant infections and infections in any other combination,” write the scientists, according to whom the carrier-targeting antiviral drug apparently destroys viral mechanisms that allow it to penetrate the host cell, replicate there, and spread further in the body. “The available data on influenza viruses, respiratory viruses and coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, indicate that temperature, humidity and UV radiation do not prevent the virus from entering the body, but rather disrupt its intracellular replication pathways,” the researchers said. Recently, medical professionals have become increasingly concerned about the Delta variant – this strain of the virus replicates and spreads significantly faster than the Alpha variant – 4 times faster to be exact, and 9 times faster than the Beta variant. In addition, Delta accelerates the replication of other coronavirus variants during parallel infections, “helping viral colleagues”. All the more important is the fact that TG is equally effective against all options. “Although we experimentally determined that the delta variant is the most infectious and promotes the replication of other viruses during parallel infection, we are pleased to discover that the gamma variant is equally effective against all of them,” said Professor Kin Chow Chan, lead investigator and Professor of Veterinary Molecular Medicine at the University of Nottingham.
The leaves of this plant really do resemble a carrot. Experts emphasize that given the current pace of vaccination (which is not the fastest, given the growing resistance of anti-vaxxers) and the spread of the coronavirus, the search for new covid-19 drugs remains a priority. And although no one can say for sure how T cells will behave in the face of new strains that have not yet been identified, the results of preliminary research look very promising. Of course, the development of a drug that is effective and safe for humans (let’s not forget that we are dealing with a highly toxic “carrot”) and the subsequent clinical trials will take time, but the first important step has already been taken.
Just three minutes of deep red light in your eyes in the morning can significantly improve your deteriorating eyesight. British scientists have found that brief exposure to light in the near-infrared range (670 nanometers) improves color contrast vision by an average of 17%, and the effect lasts for at least a week. However, only exposure in the morning brings benefits – exposure during the day does not provide any noticeable improvements. “In the near future, you will be able to perform this three-minute procedure once a week while you are making coffee or listening to your favorite podcast, and in such an uncomplicated way, you will be able to improve the vision of people around the world,” predicts the study’s author, Professor of Ophthalmology at University College London (UCL), Glen Jeffery. But let’s start at the beginning. When you turn 40, the mitochondria in the photoreceptor cells of your retina start to get tired and can no longer produce enough energy. Not surprisingly, when the energy supply to the retina declines by 70% with age, the strength of your vision also declines sharply. However, scientists already knew from previous experiments with mice, bumblebees and fruit flies that mitochondria respond positively to radiation in the range of 650 to 900 nanometers and increase energy production. It needed to be tested if it could be applied to humans. The experimental group included men and women between the ages of 34 and 70 with normal color vision and no specific eye diseases. All 20 volunteers (13 women and 7 men) were exposed for three minutes between 8 and 9 a.m. to an LED device emitting a wave in the range of 670 nm. After 3 hours, the parameters of their color vision were measured, and in the case of 10 participants, the measurements were repeated after one week. The results showed an average 17% improvement in color vision that lasted for a week, and in older subjects, the improvement reached 20% and lasted for at least a week. Meanwhile, when six of the original group of volunteers underwent the same procedure several months later, but during the period from noon to noon, no improvements were noted. “In order to improve failing vision, the morning procedure is absolutely necessary because, as previous experiments with fruit flies have shown, mitochondria work on a strict schedule and, as our study has shown, they do not respond to daytime irradiation,” Professor Jeffrey explains. As for possible side effects, he says there is no reason to worry. “This technology is simple and very reliable,” said Professor Jeffrey. “The energy of the light wave at the 670 nm wavelength is not significantly different from the energy of natural ambient light, and I am convinced that creating affordable and easy-to-use commercial devices will not be a difficult task.”